The Christmas Model Railway Show - Manchester 2018

[ralphrobertson]

The annual Manchester show is taking place on the 1st and 2nd December at the Barnes Wallis Building close to Manchester Piccadilly Station in Manchester. Opening times are 10:00-17:30 on Saturday and 10:00 to 16:30 on Sunday. Ticket prices are £9 and up to 3 children are free with each adult. Advance tickets are available via the website at http://www.mmrs.co.uk.

We have some great layouts there this year:

Addison Park, a finescale 3mm layout set in London
Ambleton Vale an N Gauge layout
Arcadia Pennsylvania an 0 gauge American layout
Arun Quay from Gordon Gravett, always worth studying for the excellent modelling
Barton Road, an embryo layout from Manchester club
Black Lion Crossing, the latest Geoff Kent layout with some fantastic modelling
Danny at the Zoo, something for the kids to play on
Deansmoor a modern era N gauge layout
Dufton Road a nice 00 layout
Fort Whiting a South African 00n9 layout
Hallam Town a finescale 2mm layout
Hounslow Sidings a small 00 layout set in London
North Ballachulish an EM layout set in the West Highlands of Scotland
Oakhurst Town an S7 layout
Pwllheli an 18.83 modern era layout in Wales
Readham another modern era 00 layout
Somewhere in France, a WW1 layout in 00n9
Tarring Neville an 00 layout from the 1960s
Zauberwaldbahn an 0e layout set in East Germany

Something for everyone's tastes and there is also full trade support and the usual refreshments available in the venue's cafe and restaurant.

With the opportunity to see Gordon Gravett and Geoff Kent with their layouts at the same show it has to be a show not to miss.

[Terry Bendall]

The Society stand will also be present.

With the opportunity to see Gordon Gravett and Geoff Kent with their layouts at the same show it has to be a show not to miss.

I have not seen Black Lion Crossing but Arun Quay is superb and captures the location perfectly. Well worth the journey for that alone.

Terry Bendall

[John Donnelly]

I have not seen Black Lion Crossing

I was lucky enough to see it at Roy Jackson's a few months ago and it is stunning...

[ralphrobertson]

I have seen Black Lion Crossing twice now and the atmosphere on that layout is stunning. Superb buildings and lineside features not to mention the handbuilt stock that Geoff runs.

Also it is looking likely that my model of Alpha Mill will be making its presence felt in the display cabinet in Room 1 this year.

Ralph

[garethevans1986]

Black Lion Crossing is an awesome layout - based on the Wrexham area where I spent alot of my childhood and student days so know the prototypes well.

If you go to the exhibition, it's worth spending alot of time at this layout, it's well worth seeing and highly recommended viewing.

Gareth

[Enigma]

Black Lion Crossing is an awesome layout - based on the Wrexham area where I spent alot of my childhood and student days so know the prototypes well.

If you go to the exhibition, it's worth spending alot of time at this layout, it's well worth seeing and highly recommended viewing.

Gareth

Completely agree. I'm a Wrexhamian and spent the first 20 years of my life there. I used to work across the road from the real pub in Brook St. and recognised it even when Geoff was just starting the embossed gable end. Lots of other structures very recognisable from around the area - and look out for the bus named after Frank Davies from the Shipley club - and me!

[Richard S]

Very high quality show. My son really liked Pwllheli with structures, stock and operation all catching his eye. Add in Arun Quay and Black Lion Crossing and the hits just kept on coming.

The presentation of the peninsular layout Tarring Neville was very imaginative. All in all a great way to spend a wintery afternoon.

[Will L]

Black Lion Crossing is an awesome layout - based on the Wrexham area where I spent alot of my childhood and student days so know the prototypes well.

If you go to the exhibition, it's worth spending alot of time at this layout, it's well worth seeing and highly recommended viewing.

Gareth

Agreed it was beautifully done and a real credit to the builder. but a layout that big almost entirely devoted to shunting?? Yes you need to spend a long time there, particularly if you wanted to see anything actually happen. I was there or there about quite often and I never once saw a train arrive or depart. I find I don't favour layouts that are operated from middle of the front, you get such a good view of the operators back.

Arun Quay was exquisite and you could spend quite a while trying to find the baseboard joint that ran across the midle of the layout. Still a shunting only layout it true, but somehow much more appropriate given its diminutive size for a 7mm layout.

Its a personal thing I know, but the layout I really appreciated was Addison Park. A rare thing for lots of reasons. A 3mm layout on 14.2 track that really did run well. Full of fine variety of scratch built stock because its 3mm and the prototype was London Underground. And just look at all that 4 rail electrification track work. Buildings were good and very recognisably London Transport too, if not quite the same quality as Black Lion and Arun Quay. Not a huge layout but an enormous amount of effort must have gone in to it. Lots to watch as trains came and went at intervals which would have satisfied London transport even today. The available moves were a bit limited so I can't help feeling that operating it might have been a bit mind numbing after a while.

[Terry Bendall]

Black Lion Crossing is an awesome layout

It is indeed and having not seen it before I spend quite a lot of time in the quiet periods over the weekend looking at it. Whilst there were long periods where there was not a lot of train movements I was entertained by just looking at all the scenic work and the many little cameos that were to be seen. The details of the various buildings were a joy to behold and a tribute to the skills of the builder, as was the quality and variety of the rolling stock.

Arun Quay was exquisite

It was indeed and whilst I have seen the layout before, an in depth look at all the small details was also very rewarding. Having grown up in the area depicted, the buildings are absolutely typical of that part of the country. It was fascinating to see two layouts so different in concept but executed so well by two masters of the hobby.

terry Bendall

[Will L]

Black Lion Crossing is an awesome layout - based on the Wrexham area where I spent alot of my childhood and student days so know the prototypes well.

If you go to the exhibition, it's worth spending alot of time at this layout, it's well worth seeing and highly recommended viewing.

Gareth

Agreed it was beautifully done and a real credit to the builder. but a layout that big almost entirely devoted to shunting?? Yes you need to spend a long time there, particularly if you wanted to see anything actually happen. I was there or there about quite often and I never once saw a train arrive or depart. I find I don't favour layouts that are operated from middle of the front, you get such a good view of the operators back.

But then I should also point out that it won the public vote best in show, so what do I know.

[GTi]

Too much shunting on Black Lion Crossing? Well, that was probably my fault!

I was drafted in to operate the layout at short notice due to a regular operator becoming unavailable.
To make matters worse, due to a problem with the hire van, Geoff K was whisked away to meet the RAC man just as the exhibition opened. A controller was thrust into my hand and I was told to “get on with it”. “What do I do” I asked “anything you want” was the reply.

So, as I like shunting, I shunted. And what shunting! Every wagon on the layout, and Geoff K is known for wagons, has a load. Every empty wagon that arrives at Black Lion Crossing departs loaded and every loaded wagon is unloaded and departs empty.
Scrap metal is loaded into steel mineral wagons and road stone is tipped into hopper wagons, structural steel and spun iron pipes are unloaded from single bolster and tube wagons in the goods yard.

Brick wagons are loaded in the brickworks and return empty. Lime wagons arrive empty for the Quarry, complete with folded wagon sheets, and return for dispatch sheeted. Ballast hoppers arrive empty and depart loaded.

Trains of empty coal wagons arrive in the colliery exchange sidings and depart loaded as well as the through iron stone and coal trains that work up to the steelworks loaded and return empty.

The one passenger train to traverse the layout, apart from the unadvertised workman’s train, is an RCTS excursion, complete with headboard, that pauses at Black Lion Crossing to allow the enthusiasts to alight and take photographs.

Quite a steep learning curve I think you will agree!

So, I am truly sorry if the operation of the layout was not up to your expectations, but for me, I had a ball…………

Geoff Tiffany

Wakefield

[Noel]

So, as I like shunting, I shunted. And what shunting! Every wagon on the layout, and Geoff K is known for wagons, has a load. Every empty wagon that arrives at Black Lion Crossing departs loaded and every loaded wagon is unloaded and departs empty

I have yet to see the completed layout, but it's good to know it's operated in a way that shows what the prototype did.

[Enigma]

So, as I like shunting, I shunted. And what shunting! Every wagon on the layout, and Geoff K is known for wagons, has a load. Every empty wagon that arrives at Black Lion Crossing departs loaded and every loaded wagon is unloaded and departs empty

I have yet to see the completed layout, but it's good to know it's operated in a way that shows what the prototype did.

Geoff K. only does what the prototype did

[Will L]

Too much shunting on Black Lion Crossing?
...
So, I am truly sorry if the operation of the layout was not up to your expectations, but for me, I had a ball…………

Certainly no need to apologies, and I agree the operations did at the very least ensure that all the facilities of the layout did get used (and exhibition layout with lots of track which never see a train is another bete noire). What we are up against here is the dichotomy between truly accurate operation and the need (at exhibition) to put on a show. For me an exhibition layout should try an put on a show, but that is a personal thing and like I said, the voting public was with you.

[Armchair Modeller]

I have yet to see the completed layout, but it's good to know it's operated in a way that shows what the prototype did.

I had always assumed it was a fictitious location. Didn't appreciate before that it was a real place.

[John Donnelly]

I have yet to see the completed layout, but it's good to know it's operated in a way that shows what the prototype did.

I had always assumed it was a fictitious location. Didn't appreciate before that it was a real place.

I’d understood from a chat to Geoff that is is a fictitious place albeit all the buildings are based on real ones...

John

[Noel]

I’d understood from a chat to Geoff that is is a fictitious place albeit all the building are based on real ones...

My understanding also; my reference to "the prototype" was intended to be to the prototype in general, not any specific location.

[Enigma]

I have yet to see the completed layout, but it's good to know it's operated in a way that shows what the prototype did.

I had always assumed it was a fictitious location. Didn't appreciate before that it was a real place.

I’d understood from a chat to Geoff that is is a fictitious place albeit all the buildings are based on real ones...

John

Definitely correct. I did however work across the road from the pub, sang in the chapel as a lad and probably travelled on the D1 Crosville double decker bus.

But it was an awful long time ago.................

I understand that the layout will be at York next Easter if you missed it at Manchester.